NEW YORK, NY - Verizon is the latest mobile carrier to bring back unlimited plans, but its version is pricier than offerings from rivals T-Mobile and Sprint.

AT&T only lets customers sign up for unlimited plans when they also subscribe to DirecTV, which AT&T owns. But its prices are similar to Verizon's for a family; Verizon is cheaper for an individual.

Verizon has long been pushing customers off the company's old unlimited plans with rate hikes. But such plans, once common, have come back into vogue as competition between carriers heats up. Carriers have to snatch customers from each other to grow, as most U.S. adults already have a smartphone.

I have AT&T and have an unlimited plan. If I ever change the plan the "unlimited" goes away. I changed from Verizon to AT&T several years ago because of Verizon's dead spots. I'm sure that has largely been resolved. The best part of this story is that the companies are now having to compete for existing customers. Prices should go down and/or service should get better. Unless the government gets in the way.